This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains documents other than rules or

proposed rules that are applicable to the

public. Notices of hearings and investigations,

committee meetings, agency decisions and

rulings, delegations of authority, filing of

petitions and applications and agency

statements of organization and functions are

examples of documents appearing in this

section.

Notices Federal Register

86873 

Vol. 88, No. 240 

Friday, December 15, 2023 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Agricultural Marketing Service 

[Doc. No. AMS–SC–23–0069] 

Notice of Request for Extension and 

Revision of a Currently Approved 

Information Collection 

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 

notice announces the Agricultural 

Marketing Service’s (AMS) intention to 

request approval from the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for an 

extension of and revision to the 

currently approved information 

collection 0581–0268 for the Christmas 

Tree Promotion, Research and 

Information Program. 

DATES: Comments must be received by 

February 13, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are 

invited to submit written comments 

concerning this notice. All comments 

must be submitted through the Federal 

e-rulemaking portal at https://

www.regulations.gov and should 

reference the document number and the 

date and page number of this issue of 

the Federal Register. All comments 

submitted in response to this notice will 

be included in the rulemaking record 

and will be made available to the 

public. The identity of the individuals 

or entities submitting comments will be 

made public on the internet at https:// 

www.regulations.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Katie Cook, Marketing Specialist at 

telephone: (202) 720–8085, or electronic 

mail: Katie.Cook@usda.gov, or Sarah 

Richardson, Marketing Specialist at 

telephone: 202–720–8085 electronic 

mail: Sarah.Richardson@usda.gov, 

Market Development Division, Specialty 

Crops Program, AMS, USDA, Stop 0244, 

Room 1406–S, 1400 Independence 

Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250– 

0244. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: Christmas Tree Promotion, 

Research, and Information Program. 

OMB Number: 0581–0268. 

Expiration Date of Approval: June 30, 

2024. 

Type of Request: Extension and 

revision of a currently approved 

information collection. 

Abstract: The Christmas Tree 

Promotion, Research, and Information 

program was created to help strengthen 

the position of Christmas trees in the 

marketplace, and maintain, develop, 

and expand markets for Christmas trees 

in the United States. The Christmas Tree 

Promotion, Research, and Information 

Order (Order) (7 CFR part 1214) is 

authorized under the Commodity 

Promotion, Research, and Information 

Act of 1996 (1996 Act) (7 U.S.C. 7411– 

7425). 

The Order was implemented 

November 2011, and immediately 

stayed. The stay was lifted on April 7, 

2014, in accordance with the provisions 

of the Agriculture Act of 2014 (2014 

Farm Bill). Currently, the Christmas tree 

program is administered by the 

Christmas Tree Promotion Board 

(Board) which is appointed by the 

Secretary of Agriculture and financed by 

a mandatory assessment on producers 

and importers of fresh cut Christmas 

trees. The assessment rate is $0.15 per 

Christmas tree cut and sold 

domestically or imported into the 

United States. The program provides an 

exemption for producers and importers 

that cut and sell or import fewer than 

500 Christmas trees annually. In 2019, 

a referendum was held among eligible 

producers and importers to determine 

whether they favor continuation of the 

program. Fifty-five percent of Christmas 

tree producers and importers who voted 

were in favor of continuing the program, 

and therefore, the program continues to 

help maintain and expand markets for 

Christmas trees. 

The information collection 

requirements in this request are 

essential to carry out the intent of the 

Order and the 1996 Act. The objective 

in carrying out this responsibility 

includes assuring the following: (1) 

funds are collected and properly 

accounted for; (2) expenditures of all 

funds are for the purposes authorized by 

the 1996 Act and Order; and (3) the 

board’s administration of the programs 

conforms to USDA policy. 

The Order’s provisions have been 

carefully reviewed and every effort has 

been made to minimize any unnecessary 

recordkeeping costs or requirements, 

including efforts to utilize information 

already submitted under other 

Christmas tree programs administered 

by USDA and other State programs. 

The forms covered under this 

collection require the minimum 

information necessary to effectively 

carry out the requirements of the 

program. Such information can be 

supplied without data processing 

equipment or outside technical 

expertise. In addition, there are no 

additional training requirements for 

individuals filling out reports and 

remitting assessments to the Board. The 

forms are simple, easy to understand, 

and place as small a burden as possible 

on the person required to file the 

information. 

Collecting information yearly would 

coincide with normal industry business 

practices. The timing and frequency of 

collecting information are intended to 

meet the needs of the industry while 

minimizing the amount of work 

necessary to fill out the required reports. 

The requirement to keep records for two 

years beyond the fiscal period of their 

applicability is consistent with normal 

industry practices. In addition, the 

information to be included on these 

forms is not available from other sources 

because such information relates 

specifically to individual producers and 

importers who will be subject to the 

provisions of the Order and 1996 Act. 

Therefore, there is no practical method 

for collecting the required information 

without the use of these forms. 

AMS is committed to complying with 

the E-Government Act, which requires 

Government agencies in general to 

provide the public the option of 

submitting information or transacting 

business electronically to the maximum 

extent possible. 

Estimate of Burden: Public 

recordkeeping burden for this collection 

of information is estimated to average 

0.43 hour per response. 

Respondents: Producers and 

importers. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

5,000. 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
86874 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 240 / Friday, December 15, 2023 / Notices 

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 

9,143. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 1.83. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 3,956 hours. 

The Board utilizes a variety of forms 

including domestic sales report and 

importer sales report; application for 

exemption; nomination form and ballot 

form; reimbursement of assessments and 

refund application forms; donation 

form; and recordkeeping requirements. 

The forms and information covered 

under this information collection 

require minimum information necessary 

to effectively carry out the requirements 

of the program and their use is 

necessary to fulfill the intent of the 

applicable authority. Lastly, the board is 

always looking to provide electronic 

versions of the forms for easier access 

and submission. 

Forms were updated to add a box to 

allow respondents to include both 

mailing and physical addresses, if they 

differ. This change allows Board staff to 

better record contact information for 

producers and importers. ‘‘Domestic 

Sales Report’’, ‘‘Importer Sales Report’’, 

and ‘‘Application for Exemption’’ were 

all updated to add this additional box. 

Forms requesting a fax number from 

respondents were revised to remove the 

box due to the expanded use of 

electronic mail. 

Comments are invited on: (1) whether 

the proposed collection of information 

is necessary for the proper performance 

of the functions of the agency, including 

whether the information will have 

practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of the burden of the 

proposed collection of information 

including the validity of the 

methodology and assumptions used; (3) 

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (4) ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on those who are to respond, including 

the use of appropriate automated, 

electronic, mechanical, or other 

technological collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology. 

All responses to this document will 

be summarized and included in the 

request for OMB approval. All 

comments will become a matter of 

public record. 

Authority: 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35. 

Erin Morris, 

Associate Administrator, Agriculture 

Marketing Service. 

[FR Doc. 2023–27534 Filed 12–14–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–02–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Food Safety and Inspection Service 

[Docket No. FSIS–2023–0027] 

Notice of Request for a New 

Information Collection: Web-Based 

Surveys 

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection 

Service (FSIS), U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA). 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) regulations, FSIS is announcing 

its intention to collect information using 

web surveys to test new labels for safe 

handling of raw and partially cooked 

meat and poultry products. This is a 

new information collection with 3,550 

hours. 

DATES: Submit comments on or before 

February 13, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: FSIS invites interested 

persons to submit comments on this 

Federal Register notice. Comments may 

be submitted by one of the following 

methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: This 

website provides commenters the ability 

to type short comments directly into the 

comment field on the web page or to 

attach a file for lengthier comments. Go 

to https://www.regulations.gov. Follow 

the on-line instructions at that site for 

submitting comments. 

• Mail: Send to Docket Clerk, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, Food Safety 

and Inspection Service, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Mailstop 

3758, Washington, DC 20250–3700. 

• Hand- or courier-delivered 

submittals: Deliver to 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Jamie L. 

Whitten Building, Room 350–E, 

Washington, DC 20250–3700. 

Instructions: All items submitted by 

mail or electronic mail must include the 

Agency name and docket number FSIS– 

2023–0027. Comments received in 

response to this docket will be made 

available for public inspection and 

posted without change, including any 

personal information, to https://

www.regulations.gov. 

Docket: For access to background 

documents or comments received, call 

202–720–5046 to schedule a time to 

visit the FSIS Docket Room at 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Washington, 

DC 20250–3700. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gina 

Kouba, Office of Policy and Program 

Development, Food Safety and 

Inspection Service, USDA, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Mailstop 

3758, South Building, Washington, DC 

20250–3700; 202–720–5046. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: Consumer Labeling Research 

Web-based Surveys. 

OMB Number: 0583–NEW. 

Type of Request: Request for a new 

information collection. 

Abstract: FSIS has been delegated the 

authority to exercise the functions of the 

Secretary (7 CFR 2.18 and 2.53), as 

specified in the Federal Meat Inspection 

Act (FMIA) (21 U.S.C. 601, et seq.), the 

Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA) 

(21 U.S.C. 451, et seq.), and the Egg 

Products Inspection Act (EPIA) (21 

U.S.C. 1031, et seq.). These statutes 

mandate that FSIS protect the public by 

verifying that meat, poultry, and egg 

products are safe, wholesome, and 

properly labeled. 

Safe handling instructions (SHI) are 

required on the labels of raw or partially 

cooked (i.e., not considered ready to eat) 

meat and poultry products if the 

product is destined for household 

consumers or institutional uses (9 CFR 

317.2(l) and 9 CFR 381.125(b)). FSIS has 

required the SHI label for raw and 

partially cooked meat and poultry 

products since 1994 (59 FR 40209). 

In response to inquiries from 

consumer groups and other stakeholders 

about potential changes to SHI 

requirements, FSIS gathered input from 

members of academia, industry, and 

consumer stakeholders concerning the 

label in November 2013. FSIS presented 

the results of the input in the form of 

suggestions to the National Advisory 

Committee on Meat and Poultry 

Inspection (NACMPI) in January 2014. 

The NACMPI Subcommittee on Food 

Handling Labels recommended that 

FSIS pursue changes in the existing SHI 

label and conduct consumer research to 

determine the effectiveness of any 

revisions to the SHI label. 

In 2015, FSIS conducted six consumer 

focus groups (OMB No. 0583–0166; 11/ 

30/2017) to evaluate understanding of 

the current SHI label and responses to 

possible revisions. The results from the 

focus groups suggested that consumers 

would find certain revisions to the SHI 

label useful. Participants recommended 

changes to improve consumer 

comprehension and adherence to 

recommended safe handling practices 

(e.g., add recommendations to use a 

food thermometer and endpoint 

temperatures for different cuts of meat 

and poultry). Based on the results of 

these focus groups, FSIS determined 

that additional research using more 

rigorous, quantitative approaches with a 


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